FORT WORTH, Texas -- At last week's Big 12 media days in Dallas, Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville said the Red Raiders dropped the Sept.10 game at TCU because the new round-robin scheduling in the Big 12 forced one less non-conference game than originally scheduled.

Then he ventured into territory that didn't sit particularly well with Red Raider Nation:

"Obviously for us, we’re going to be a very young team coming in [to this season],” Tuberville said. “That’s really probably not the type of team we want to play right now.”

On Wednesday, TCU, which will likely start a sophomore at quarterback after four years of Andy Dalton consistency, reported to camp. Coach Gary Patterson, who wasn't thrilled with Tech's late scratch shortly after the Frogs won the Rose Bowl, was asked about Tuberville's unexpected compliment.

"Tommy was just being nice," Patterson said. "Tommy's a good football coach. He's got a great pedigree. He's just doing what a good coach does. I saw he got hammered by his fans a little bit, but the bottom line to it, to me, he was just being nice to us."

Tuberville also said he would like to play TCU annually. The teams have played three times since 2003, but the last two -- 2010 and 2011 -- were both canceled.

Patterson's response to scheduling the Raiders?

"Well, maybe," the 11th-year TCU coach said. "I mean, right now I have Oklahoma next year, then I've got LSU home-and-home in '13 and '14, so I mean it's not like we're backing off anything here any time soon. But, you know, the only thing you say with that is, well, I have a young team this year, too. You don't see me getting out of any ballgames."

Whether TCU and Tech ever renew a football rivalry on the field will be seen, but the one going on off the field isn't half bad.